Investigation against Austrian Federal Chancellor and leader of the People’s Party Sebastian Kurtz as well as against the director of his office, Bernhard Bonelli, on the charge of false testimony in the Commission of Inquiry into the “Ibiza Case”, the unprecedented scandal Corruption that had led to political upheaval in the country exactly two years ago, the Finance and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has started in Vienna.
Chancellor Kurtz himself confirmed the first relevant information of the Austrian conservative newspaper “Die Presse” before noon and before the start of the weekly meeting of the cabinet of the coalition government of his People’s Party and the Greens.
The reason for the investigations is obviously the facts regarding the appointment of the supervisory board of the Austrian Holding Company, about which Sebastian Kurtz and Bernhard Bonelli allegedly misinformed the Committee of Inquiry, which was followed by a lawsuit filed by the main opposition. and the smaller NEOS party.
It would be a process that would result in a single judge due to the low sentence, the chancellor noted in his statements today, stating that the Prosecutor’s Office can file a criminal complaint at any time, while he is not going to resign, but will present his own of his point of view accepting a relevant summons from the judge, to all whose questions he will answer honestly.
The chancellor said he could not imagine a conviction, noting that he had always been well aware that the commission was an important body to answer questions and had “always tried to remember as best he could and to provide true information”.
Sebastian Kurtz criticized the country’s political culture as, he said, lawsuits are now used all the time and this committee tried “very deliberately with questions and accusations” to create a “very strong atmosphere”.
In his view, efforts are being made to “reverse the claims of some” and “force people to make false statements”.
According to the newspaper Der Standard, the conversations recently evaluated by the mobile phone of the General Manager of the Austrian Holding Company Thomas Smith showed a few weeks ago that both Sebastian Kurtz and Bernhard Bonelli participated in the meeting more than previously known. Search for executives for the supervisory board of the newly established state-owned portfolio company.
The protagonist in the “Ibiza Case” was Heinz-Christian Strache, the former Vice Chancellor of Austria and former leader of the far-right nationalist Party of Liberals, which co-ruled with the People’s Party between then and now Chancellor Se .
The “scandalous video of an unprecedented political transaction” of the Ibiza Case with its explosive revelations about Heinz-Christian Strache and the then head of the Liberal Parliamentary Group Johan Gudenus, had led in May 2019 to the biggest post-war period in political upheavals.
In the video, published on May 17, 2019, by the German magazine Der Spiegel and the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which caused a worldwide uproar, Strache is clearly promised to a supposed Russian businessman and alleged niece of Russian oligarchs a few months ago. the Austrian parliamentary elections of October 2017, in exchange for her pre-election support to himself and his party.
The video discusses investment opportunities in Austria, as well as the possibility of bypassing the legal channels for financing the Free, as well as Strache’s proposal for the acquisition by the supposed businessman of the largest Austrian newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung, in order to increase the ” in favor of the same influence of the newspaper in view of the elections.
In the seven-hour video – which was secretly recorded in July 2017 at a villa in Ibiza and apparently a “trap” for the then vice-chancellor and far-right leader – the alleged businesswoman states her intention to invest in Austria, repeatedly understood to be “black money”.
Heinz-Christian Strache had apparently been forced to resign as chancellor of Austria and leader of the far-right nationalist Free Party on May 18, 2019, the day after the Ibiza video was released.
The “case” had its temporary culmination with the fall of the Free government with the People’s Party of former and current Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz in May 2019, which necessitated the announcement of early parliamentary elections for September 29, 2019, which Sebastian Kurtz in January 2020 joined the current governing coalition with the Greens.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
